Fish has numerous he alth properties and nutritional values. In addition, they are tasty - although not everyone likes them. This truth is known and repeated for a long time. But are you sure? Is every species of fish really he althy and worth recommending? Find out what types of fish are there, which fish are he althy, which are better to avoid and which are the best for weight loss.

Fishhas numerouspropertieshe alth andnutritional value . Nutritionists and doctors have no doubts: people who eat a lot of fish are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, allergies and cancer. A statistical Japanese eats 65 kg of fish a year, a Norwegian - 46 kg, while we - Poles - only about 13 kg.

The importance of fish in our diet can be proved by the fact that they are given to children at the end of the first year of life, if the toddler is not allergic.

Due to their high nutritional value, fish should be on our table at least2-3 times a week , especially fatty - marine.

It should be noted, however, that some fish have low nutritional value, those living in dirty waters contain toxins, and those that are farmed - antibiotics. That's why it's worth knowing how to buy fish to choose the best ones.

Kinds of fish

There are two types of fish:

  • sea fish , e.g. mackerel, herring, tuna, salmon, sprat, cod, halibut
  • freshwater fish , e.g. carp, trout, crucian carp, roach, tench, zander, sturgeon, barbel

Another division is:

  • oily fish : salmon, halibut, tuna, mackerel, herring, eel, sprat, sardine
  • medium-fat fish : carp, trout, redfish, turbot
  • lean fish : tench, sole, cod, hake, zander, tilapia, pike, pollock, kergulena, miruna, pangasius, roach, bream, flatfish, sea bream, flounder

Properties and nutritional values ​​of fish

Sea fish are generally he althier than freshwater fish because they contain more of the valuable omega-3 fatty acids.

It is the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are the greatest treasure of fish. They are rightly called essential fatty acids (EFAs).

The problem is that the human body cannot do them aloneproduce them, so we have to provide them with food on a regular basis.

We need about 2 g of omega-3 fatty acids a day. To meet this demand, we should eat a portion of fish twice a week, e.g. 150 g of salmon or 50 - 75 g of herring. If you don't like fresh fish, you can replace them with a can of sardines or sprats.

Eating all fish is worth it, but marine fish contain more fat, which makes them so valuable.

The most omega-3 fatty acids come from fatty sea fish: halibut, salmon, mackerel, sardine, sprat, herring.

Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important in the prevention of heart and circulatory system diseases. People who eat fish in old age have a better memory, ability to associate, they suffer less from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Omega-3s improve eyesight, and are also irreplaceable in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and in strengthening the immune system.

Fish also contain numerous vitamins and minerals. The amount of vitamins in fish depends on the fat content:

  • lean fish are richer in water-soluble B vitamins,
  • and fatty foods contain more fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, D and E.

For example, 100 grams of carp cover half the daily requirement of a 3-year-old for vitamin A, which is essential for the eyes.

Vitamin D and phosphorus together with calcium shape the skeleton, strengthen teeth and affect the processes of cell growth and renewal.

Vitamin E together with omega-3 acids smooth and firm the skin. Sea fish also provide iodine to help prevent thyroid disease.

In addition, all species that we eat together with the skeleton are an excellent source of protein. For example, 100 g of canned sardines contain the same amount of protein as a glass of milk!

Specialists emphasize that the protein in fish meat is as valuable as the protein of slaughter animals and easily digestible.

Therefore, fish must not be excluded from the diet, because the benefits outweigh the risk of harmful effects of the chemical compounds contained in them.

B altic fish (e.g. sprat, salmon) and tuna should be restricted in the diet only by pregnant and lactating women and young children.

Read also:

  • Toxins in fish - check which fish are not poisonous
  • Why don't kids like fish? How to get kids to eat fish
Worth knowing

Before you decide to buy, check and smell the fish carefully. It is really fresh if:

  • has a fresh sea scent. When it smells strongly of … fish, it meansthat it is stale
  • skin is smooth and moist
  • scales (if present) adhere to the skin
  • tail and fins intact, rough or dry; should be moist and pliable
  • the meat is resilient and compact, and when pressed, no cavity remains
  • eyes are bright and fill the entire eye socket
  • gills are dark pink, not brown or gray
  • belly is not bloated

Are canned fish he althy?

Canned fish retain most of their nutrients. Little oily fish are a very good source of vitamin D, phosphorus and calcium.

This is why doctors recommend that people with osteoporosis eat a can of sardines with their bones once a week.

But alreadye.g. Canned tuna, compared to fresh fish, contains only 50 percent. vitamin D .

Canned tuna is better avoided, because canned fish are often made of aged fish (tuna live 40 years), which can be a source of heavy metals that pose a he alth risk. A two- or three-year-old shouldn't eat them more than once a week.

IMPORTANT! Are fish fingers he althy? Why shouldn't children eat fish fingers?

Is it worth eating smoked fish?

Smoked fish are generally fatty and hard to digest. Like all smoked meats, they contain a lot of sodium and smoke components, which are harmful to he alth in large quantities.

Supermarket fish are unlikely to be smoked in the traditional way and therefore may contain chemicals. That is why smoked meats should be eaten in moderation.

People with arterial hypertension and peptic ulcer disease must exercise particular caution. Children may eat smoked fish no more than once every 2 weeks.

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Find out moreImportant

Fish must be properly labeled. On each package or label, we need to find information about:

  • commercial designation of the species (Polish and Latin names)
  • method of production (caught at sea, inland or farmed)
  • the catch area (e.g. the B altic Sea, and in the case of inland waters and farms, the name of the country, e.g. caught or farmed in Poland, China, Chile)

Which fish are best forslimming?

The advantage of fish is that they are low in calories (as long as they are not breaded). Fresh, even fatty ones, provide less energy than meat:

  • 100 g of cod equals 70 kcal,
  • flounder - 84 kcal,
  • halibut - 99 kcal,
  • and hams - as much as 340 kcal.

They are very greasy:

  • herring,
  • salmon
  • or butterfish.

Give up eating them if you have a tendency to gain weight, are overweight or obese.

If you want to lose weight, reach for:

  • s alt,
  • cod,
  • pollock,
  • hake,
  • flounder.

When losing weight, avoid breading and deep-frying. Instead, you can cook, bake or fry the fish without adding any fat.

Which fish are the he althiest?

  • Salmon

This is one of the most fatty fish, it contains as much as 4.79 g in 100 g of the edible part of polyunsaturated fatty acids (over 30 times more than cod), a lot of vitamins A, D, E and B, iodine and potassium.

The best are free-living salmon - Pacific and Atlantic. Our market is dominated by farmed Norwegian salmon (pink meat), which contains more harmful compounds than wild salmon, but the level of contamination of farmed salmon sold in our country is much lower than prescribed by the standards. The B altic salmon has more harmful compounds.

  • Pstrąg

Lives in rivers and mountain streams. But the most readily available is rainbow trout, bred on fish farms.

It has tasty, lean meat and contains the most omega-3 fatty acids among freshwater fish. The value of meat is influenced by the composition of the feed, sometimes breeders add carotenoids - then the fish has a more intense color (such trout is called salmon, precisely because of the "salmon" color). It is best to choose small specimens.

  • Karp

It lives in ponds and slowly flowing waters. But most of them come from breeding. King carp is the most valued. It has pinkish flesh and few scales. Carps can be eaten without fear - fish production in our conditions is characterized by a low level of intensity, which does not adversely affect the quality of the meat.

  • Tuna

It has 0.83 g of omega-3 fatty acids per 100 g.

Canned food usually contains red meat. Therefore, pregnant women and children should eat them as little as possible.

  • Śledź

Fishfatty, rich in omega-3 acids (2 g per 100 g), contains vitamins E, D (10 times more than milk) and B, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, selenium and iron.

Our market is dominated by Atlantic herring, where the problem of excessive dioxin does not exist. B altic herring is mainly used in processing.

In those sold in a can, the content of harmful compounds is within the normal range. The fattest are matiesa herring off the coast of Scotland and Shetland.

  • Miruna

Miruna is becoming more and more popular due to its tender and tasty meat. It belongs to the codfish.

It has a calorific value similar to that of cod (84 kcal / 100 g), but it is a much better source of he althy, unsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3.

However, environmentalists advise against buying miruna caught off the coast of New Zealand, because the abundance of these stocks is declining due to overfishing.

  • Mintaj

The pollock is a lean fish, with only 0.5 g of fat and 56 kcal per 100 g. Among other fish, it is distinguished by a high content of phosphorus, while it has 3 times less potassium than trout.

Worth knowing

Sensational news: fish harm or not?

From time to time there is information that fish may be poisoned with harmful chemicals (so-called dioxins or dioxin-like compounds) that disrupt the production of progesterone (a hormone responsible for the proper development of pregnancy), damage the immune system and cause cancer .

The fish from the B altic Sea are not the best, because the sea is quite polluted. During cooking or reheating in a microwave oven, the amount of these compounds is reduced by 30%, and during deep frying, even by over 70%.

So if the content of harmful substances in some fresh fish is higher than the EU standards, then much less of them gets into the body. Choose small fish - large ones may be overfed or old .

Which fish are better to avoid?

  • Panga, tilapia

These are freshwater fish, lean, with a low protein content and a negligible amount of omega-3 acids and vitamins A, E and D. They have a neutral taste, so people who do not like fish eagerly reach for them.

The problem is that mainly Vietnamese (pangas) and Chinese (tilapia) fish come to Poland and they raise concerns.

Poor breeding conditions (high density in frequently polluted water bodies), the use of antibiotics, bactericides, hormones and fish fat feed, in whichToxins accumulate, and the low nutritional value suggests that you should eat them in moderation when choosing small pieces.

  • Butterfish

It is a commercial term for several species of marine fish (rudderfish, escolar, oilfish). It is very fatty, rich in protein and vitamins A, E and D (many times more than in the B altic fish).

Unfortunately, it also contains a lot of oleic acid - a component of indigestible and non-digestible wax esters (part of the secretion of the sebaceous glands).

People who eat this fish regularly may experience abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea because their intestines are lined with non-digestible fat. Butterfish is not recommended for children, the elderly and pregnant women.

  • Nile perch

It is lean, rich in protein and vitamin A. It contains little omega-3 fatty acids, but a lot of saturated fatty acids, especially palmitic acid, which can increase the liver's production of bad cholesterol (LDL).

Therefore, eating this fish should not be overdone, although the content of toxic substances in the meat of the Nile perch is many times lower than the permissible level.

  • African catfish

It is medium fat, rich in protein and vitamin E. It contains a lot of saturated fatty acids, especially palmitic, and a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

People with elevated cholesterol should limit it in their diet. It is safe in terms of the content of toxic substances.

Fish - stewed, baked, fried or boiled?

One of the he althiest ways to cook fish iscooking . The fish are put into boiling vegetable stock and cooked - not too long so as not to overcook the meat.

And so the bells and fillets are cooked for about 20 minutes, and the whole fish for 45-60 minutes. You can also steam fillets and whole fish.

This is the most delicate way of preparation - the fish does not overcook or dry out and retains its flavor.

Recommendablestewed fish . It is best to stew the fish over low heat, placed between the vegetables.

Frying is still popular .

The fish will be juicy and will also get a crispy crust if you roll it in flour before frying. To prevent the meat from falling apart in the pan, sprinkle it with lemon juice beforehand.

Baked fishwhole is a great delicacy. However, it takes a little more time to prepare.

So if it is very large, it is better to break it into pieces. In order not to lose its juiciness, it must be baked in aluminum foil andat temperatures up to 200 degrees C.

Fish taste greatcold . They are suitable for mousses and terrines, they are also delicious in jelly and as an ingredient of salads.

And the aromatic fish stock is indispensable for the preparation of many sauces and soups, and also as a basis for tasty jelly for fish. For preparation, use bones, fins and heads.

Fish - storage

Store frozen fish in the freezer. Remember that fish are an extremely perishable product. Try to eat fresh on the day of purchase or store up to 24 hours in the upper part of the refrigerator.

Thawed fish must not be re-frozen - risk of food poisoning. Therefore, pack frozen fish in a thermo bag in the store, as they defrost very quickly!

Worth knowing

Even half the weight of a fish is… frozen water

Each frozen fish covered with a so-called glaze, that is … frozen water. The less glaze the better. 5 percent is enough to protect fish meat against the influence of the external environment. glaze, its amount, in accordance with good manufacturing practice, should not exceed 10%. However, practice has shown that the thickness of the ice may vary .In some cases, half of a kilogram of fish is water.

The seller is obliged to inform the customer about the glaze content in the frozen product. These details must appear on the packaging, whether it is a cardboard box, foil packaging or a freezer with fish sold in bulk.

If the glaze content does not agree with the information on the packaging, the matter must be reported to the commercial inspection.

"Zdrowie" monthly

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What do you eat